Embraceable You (Irish Hearts Series) (25 page)

After their little tryst out of town, Zach and Siena craved each other more often, late at night, out of sight of the curious town. Sometimes she would join him if she saw the lights on at his house. But she always left before dawn.

Sometimes he would bound up the high steps on the outside and stay for a few hours.
He always left after their lovemaking, never falling asleep or staying until morning.

Siena was glad to be in his arms whenever possible. She didn't know how this would turn out, but she
worried that her feelings for him were deeper and he was along for the ride.

Claire and money

The problem with having lots of money and your friends having almost none is that you just want to
help everyone. Being wealthy is like a volume knob, Danny used to say. It makes you a loud jerk or a better person. Lord knows I tried to be better and generous, but it was hard.

I grew up poor, damnable poor in
the west of Ireland. We made our living on the prospect of someone coming into O'Sullivan's Pub and having a pint. Or five! And that's an awful way to live. We were so poor that my dear da sold me into a good marriage.

So, it's very hard for me to let go of a penny, even now, after all these years of living a very good life with Danny.

I do, sometimes, host a luncheon for the Lacy Ladies and give them nice little gifts. But beyond that, I fall short of offering them what they really need. Money. For one thing, it would be too embarrassing for them. And that's the last thing I want for my friends. That's why I so want this lace thing to work for them. To bring them some profits.

Danny, now he was the generous one. He never worried about money, and it just came to him. He was the only generous one in his family. Lord knows where he got that trait. But he had property and investments and ran the bank all his life. Now, Rich has taken over. He's a tad
too tight with the dollar, if you ask me. Never willing to help, unless he can see something in it for himself or his darling daughter, Monique. He's all about profit.

Danny confided to me once that he had loaned Jon Cassidy money for his lobster boat and equipment to get his business going. And when Jon died that awful way, Danny wrote that loan off because he knew Jon's widow, Roberta with those three kids, could never pay it. He never mentioned it to Roberta or to anyone.

It was our secret, and will remain so. He said the best thing you could do for someone in need was to give them a job, or the wherewithal to get a job. And he never had any regrets about loaning Jon the money, or about writing off the loss. It was the best he could do for the man.

When Siena told me what Rich did when she applied for a loan to renovate Amazing Lace
Lingerie Salon, I wanted to march right down to that bank and slap him up side of the head! I was so angry! But I knew that wouldn't help Siena any.

Danny would have been so proud of me. Without another thought, it was the most natural thing in the world to give her the money. She insisted on it being a loan, but we'll see.

My Danny was right. I had the most wonderful, uplifting feeling when I wrote her that check. Powerful, but not in a controlling way. Warm and rewarding. Like it was exactly what I was meant to do. Besides making lace. Amazing, magical lace.

Oh Lord, I
have doubts about the turn Siena's taking. Not about the shop, or even the new name Amazing Lace Lingerie Salon. That's exactly the right thing to do. My concern is about Siena's bold marketing. She's a bit of a wild child, like her great-aunt.

Siena has some bodacious
ideas for getting attention and she's pulled us right along with her. These wild ideas might work well in the big city, but here in little Haven's Point, I don't know.

Now she's talking about a style show
to show off our beautiful lace in a bra and panty show. Lord knows what will be revealed.

Lots of questions
are roaming around in my mind. Will that work here? Will they let her get away with it? A show like that will certainly draw attention, which is what she wants. I'd like to see her succeed, I really would. After all, I willingly gave her the money she needed to remodel the business. But I am afraid this time she's walking out on the end of the pier and taking us with her.

For now, I will
speak only positive words about this. Out loud. "The power of the lace will triumph."

"Going live on St. Paddy's Day! Pass the word!"

Siena didn't know which spread the word faster, the Lacy Ladies or the Facebook page
Zoey had opened. Everyone was excited to see the virtual store online. And so was Siena. Things had moved fast during the last month since Zoey jumped on board. She bought several pieces of lace and sewed them like patches to her jeans, to a jacket, to a sweater. That girl was amazing, just like the lace she touted.

On the day before the go-live on St. Paddy's Day, Siena was
vacuuming some of the construction mess when Zach appeared at the shop door. "Hey, have you always wanted to live in a grape house? This is the primer, I hope."

She
switched off the vacuum and squared her shoulders, feeling proud of the way the place was shaping up. She came over and put her hands on his shoulders and gave him a kiss. A real kiss. Then she twisted away doing an impromptu dance across the room. "Zoey’s a real color genius. Real designer eye-catcher. I love it! Don't you?"

He ambled in, looking around at the empty spaces. "
Zoey's idea, huh? Figures."

"She designed the dressing rooms and R.J. constructed them. Nice job, don’t you think?"

Zach glanced quickly over the framed booths and nodded. "Yeah, my little sis is quite talented. Not very smart, but capable. That’ll serve her well in life since – "

Siena held out her palm to stop him. "
Zoey is brilliant. She has been a tremendous help to me, to all of us, actually. Right now, she and George are working on a website for the business." Siena wanted to share her excitement about the project, but Zach was less than enthusiastic.

"Hmmm… so you're going to sell this stuff over the Internet?" He shook his head. "Damn, she sure has you convinced."

"Or maybe I have her convinced. It's just a thought, but maybe you ought to consider a website for Haven's Point. Might encourage businesses. I'm sure she and George would help with that." Siena switched the vacuum back on and continued scrubbing the floor.

He switched the vacuum back off again.
"Siena, you have my own sis turning against me."

Siena turned to face him. "Stop it! No one is against you, Zach. We're trying to do our own thing, just like you are. Only we're working together. And you're on a single, narrow track. Yours."

"I am trying to broaden my perspective, Siena," he said. "I just got off the phone with Warren Blythe of Puddlejump, Inc. It’s a software company in Boston. Are you familiar?"

"Very." She leaned on the
vacuum handle and gave him her full attention. "I used to work there."

"And Warren is
. . ."

"Otherwise known as the jackass I was engaged to. Oh, and his other job is Veep of
Marketing. Pardon me while I barf." She could feel a little heat building in her chest just thinking about Warren talking to Zach in a civilized manner.

Zach shifted. "Did you know that the company was considering a satellite office in Haven’s Point?" 

Siena faltered. "I… well yes, I’d heard something about a satellite office long ago. But they were talking about several other small towns, too. In Massachusetts. And maybe Vermont. "

"Well, Maine seems the best prospect for them right now. I've been courting them, along with some other businesses. And they seem eager to work with us. If it takes place, you might want to consider renovating the empty part of this building and renting to them."

"Why would I want to do that?" Siena stared at him, dumbfounded. She wanted to scream,
Not here! No way! I’m not hungry enough!

"Just business, if you can separate yourself from the emotional end."

"There’s no emotional end," she denied, knowing she was lying through her teeth. "Besides, I thought your advice was to tear this old building down because it wasn't worth anything."

"Listen, this in your best interest, Siena. If you need to defend keeping your business here, it might help to have another business too, a profitable one."

"Why the hell would I need to defend my business?"

"You should know that there was a closed-door meeting of the City Council this morning. And your business was the major topic."

"Why?" Siena walked away from the vacuum and folded her arms. "If it was about my building, why wasn't I invited?"

"Apparently they aren’t crazy about your plans for this little shop. But you’ll have an opportunity to speak for yourself at the next Town Council meeting."

"I have to go before the Town Council?"

"Normally it's routine. You need to get council approval to open a new shop. All new merchants have to do this."

"But this is the same shop,
Amazing Lace
. Just different merchandise."

"
Well, the name's different. That’s the problem. Your new merchandise is . . . risqué."  Zach looked at the colorful pile of bras and panties in the nearby shipping box. "It may take some persuasion on your part. A bra shop isn’t like an ice cream parlor or knick-knack store. This town is old-fashioned about such things as underwear."

"Underwear is crude and old-fashioned. Lingerie is classy. These are basic clothing items." Siena stared. Her heart pounded. It was nuts to think that with all the support she’d gotten from the women for the new and improved
Amazing Lace
, there were still some people in town who objected. "You don’t think I can get it approved?" she asked finally.

He sighed. "To be honest, Siena, it’ll be tough."

The silent tension between Zach and Siena was heavy. Siena turned away, wondering what the hell Zach was doing to her. But deep down, she knew. Business first. Feelings, personal or otherwise, didn’t matter when it came to business. "Are you for me? Or against?"

"For you. Always. But you might want to consider Puddlejump's needs. Of course, you have the freedom to negotiate whatever will work for you, like a hefty rent. It could be a good business deal for you, Siena."

She walked away from him and sat on a work stool. "You know Zach, I was desperate and angry when I came to Haven’s Point."

Zach folded his arms
, turned away and looked at her sideways.

"But I didn’t realize then," she continued, "that out of my anger would come so much good."

"What good?" He shifted and shook his head.

"Yes
, good. Positive affects. I never would have had this opportunity to build a business from the bottom up. To feel this kind of passion for doing something, for creating something good for people. To know such passion for my work and for my life here in Haven’s Point. My love for a town that could be my home. I wouldn’t have gotten to know and love Claire and Roberta, and especially Zoey. And all the Lacy Ladies. You know, we have over twenty ladies working now? And even George, with all his pessimism. He's a very intelligent and interesting guy, if you'd just give him a chance. It’s exciting to know that maybe I can do something to help them fulfill a dream, along with my own."

"This is just about business, Siena. Nothing else. Not dreams. N
ot what's best for the people."

"Oh, that's where you're so wrong, Zach. This whole project, it’s about everything. But most of all, the people." She choked back tears. "I've had a chance to know you all over again. All along, I wanted to love you and maybe I slipped into that old boyfriend fantasy too far. Zach, it hurts to say this. I love you, but I really don’t like you. Don’t like the way you work. The way you treat people. You have one goal, and that’s yours. You insist on being in charge. And life doesn’t always work that way."

"I can't believe you're saying this. I'm here to help you, Siena. You know I'm glad to have you in my life again. But you need to learn that in business, as in politics, you have to work the system."

"I don’t give a damn about the system," she said, her voice growing higher with tension. "What I care about are the people. And obviously, you don’t."

"That’s not true. I care about . . . everything and everyone. And especially you. That’s why I’m here. To make this town better, for my mother and sister. For you. For everyone. And you – you have just --"

"I screwed it up for you, didn’t I?" She noticed that he didn’t say he loved her. Maybe theirs was just a good-sex relationship. And she needed to accept that.

Zach started to leave, then halted. "One more thing, Siena. I’ve been hearing rumors that may make this whole damn thing explode in your face."

"Rumors? About us?" She wondered how long they could keep their affair a secret. For some, it ruined their political career. Could happen here. Haven’s Point was far from broad-minded about much of anything.